I have a problem with the central assumption of the game, that chariots were useful only for missile warfare and not for shock warfare. The authors claim that horses would shy away from charging at armored men with spears, and therefore chariots could not be effectively used for shock attacks.
That would be news to Alexander the Great, and the other commanders of cavalry units! Not only did his horses not seem to be afflicted with the claimed phobia, but Alexander also had to deal with Persian chariot attacks. Those attacks failed, but the fact that they were dealing with one the greatest military geniuses of the ancient world, and the best-trained and best-prepared army suggests that chariot attacks could have succeeded against troops who had not been carefully trained to deal with them.
Games that deal with ancient warfare will necessarily involve a good deal of speculation because there is so much that we do not know. But I find this game's speculations to be implausible.Was this comment helpful?
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2. Fabrizio on 8/17/2010, said:

great topic, excellent graphics, as usual... an excellent addition to the serie.
the mechanic is faster than that of other GBoH volumes, but very funny, despite his simplicity... that made anyway very well the idea of that more "raw" (and perhaps violent) kind of contemporary warfare: the one who strikes the first, seem to have the edge... but the outcome of the battle is not so assumed until the end of the game.
i have only some perplexity about rout mechanics, somewhat "abstract" in some situations (in a "packed" melée units in rout could often "disappear" instead of creating some havoc on their own line... due to the impossibility of going through friendly units too). a well-done issue, anyway: the game is full of funny combat mechanics, despite the rawnwss of this kind of raw bronze age warfare, in particular, of course, the well conceived war chariot maneuvering and, as in Samurai, the heroic combat... that adds, where present, a lot of fun
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3. Michael on 4/11/2010, said:

A great addition to the GBoH line. I was worried about the change in activation mechanics, but having played the game I actually like the chit mechanic better than the standard game mechanic. I also like that the same activation mechanic works with the Simple GBoH system. Game play seems well balanced, with many options for each player; they weren't kidding when they said most scenarios aren't decided until the last turn.Was this comment helpful?
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The Great Battles of History series ventures back into the mists of time: the Bronze Age, or the Age of the Chariot. From approximately 1700 BC to 1200 BC (which was the abrupt end of the Bronze Age) the chariot reigned supreme on the battlefield. It was the first modern weapons system, and chariots controlled most of warfare until actual cavalry appeared in the middle of the Iron Age.

But how did chariots work as a tactical weapons system? There is no complete historical agreement on what exactly they did or how they were used, but Chariots of Fire will show you our view of their many applications - and many types of chariotry there were - providing GBoH players with the complete and definitive chariot rules. These rules cover combat and mobility from the first battle wagons of the Sumerians to the two-man, fast-moving light chariots of the Egyptians, often complete with their associated and specialized Runner Infantry, to the heavy 3-man Hittite wheels.

To simulate these ancient tactical details Chariots of Fire presents you with nine battles:

Sumer (ca 2320 BC) - featuring the legendary Sargon the Great

Sekhmen (1875 BC)

Megiddo (ca 1479 BC)

Senzar (1470)

The Astarpa (1312 BC)

Kadesh (1300 BC)

Nihriya (1230 BC)

Babylon (1225 BC)

and, Troy (1200 BC) - including an extra: Homer's heros!

And of armies Chariots of Fire has plenty, and a truly colorful bunch they are: Sumerians, Akkadians, all sorts of Egyptians, Canaanites, Hittites, Mitanni, Arzawans, Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Myceaen Age Greeks.